need to know
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On December 26, the bodies of Alain Noël, 56, and Christine Sauvé, 55, of Quebec, were discovered by their son at the couple’s vacation home in the Dominican Republic.
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Her brother told People that the couple wasn’t feeling well before their deaths and seemed “exhausted” when they last spoke the next day
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“It’s a huge loss,” he said
Last month, a Canadian couple was found dead while on vacation in the Dominican Republic. As the family awaits answers to the incident, they recount the couple’s final moments.
Christine Sauvé, 55, and Alain Noël, 56, both from Quebec, were found dead by their son at their vacation home in the El Indio Village neighborhood of Villa Riva on Friday, Dec. 26, her brother Gilles Sauvé Jr. confirmed to PEOPLE.
An autopsy has been carried out and Giles said the family had been told they could have preliminary results later this week, but a final report could take up to four months.
There haven’t been any clear answers yet, and there has been much speculation in local media, including questions about whether the couple was murdered or committed suicide. However, Giles believes “that’s not true.”
Giles said Christine and Alan had been married for more than 30 years and had two children – Jonathan, 30, and Sabrina, 28 – and described the couple as good people with many friends.
“Alan was a big guy, but he was a big teddy bear. Kristen was great too,” her brother said. “She loved doing a lot of things for her family.”
On December 14, Christine and Alain arrived in the Dominican Republic with their son Jonathan, where they were given a house where they planned to retire and began a month-long vacation.
While overseas, Giles said, Kristen began to feel dizzy and fall, prompting her to go to the hospital on December 25 for a blood test. When she went home later that day, she was not given any prescriptions for her symptoms but was told to come back the next day for some scans.
Giles said Alan also experienced some dizziness but was so worried about his wife’s health that he ultimately did not mention it to his doctor.
After returning from the hospital, the couple spoke with their family in Canada via FaceTime. Giles said they both seemed “a little tired” but did not feel dizzy at the time.
During the conversation, Kristen mentioned not knowing what was causing the dizziness. She wonders if it’s related to her ongoing health issues — they both suffer from high blood pressure and diabetes — although she can’t say for sure.
“It’s not clear yet,” Giles said. “Nothing is really clear.”
Additionally, they both mentioned having a bit of “stomach trouble” but didn’t think they ate anything that made them uncomfortable.
For the most part, Giles said, they were “very tired” during the calls but otherwise fine.
“Alain showed me the outside of his house as he made some new garden things and put on lights,” he said, adding that his sister also “looked and talked” well.
The next morning, when Jonathan woke up around 9:30 a.m., he found his parents hadn’t gotten up yet, which was strange because Alan, who worked in the family construction business, usually woke up early.
Giles said Jonathan brushed it off at the time, believing they overslept because they were too tired the night before. However, an hour later, before they woke up, he walked into their room and found them lying unresponsive on the bed.
Giles said the first thing Jonathan did was call his sister Sabrina to tell her their parents were not breathing. Sabrina then told her brother to call the resort manager and owner, who then contacted local authorities.
“Everybody came, they did what they had to do, they searched the house,” Giles said.
Giles and Sabrina arrived in the Dominican Republic about a day and a half later, joined Jonathan and helped communicate with Dominican authorities, which was difficult due to the language barrier.
Four days later, Canadian officials contacted the family and provided the phone number of the funeral home they had contacted.
Global Affairs Canada previously confirmed their deaths to Global News, saying they were in contact with local authorities to “gather additional information” in the ongoing investigation but could not release any further information due to privacy concerns.
The Dominican National Police, the National Institute of Forensic Sciences, the Dominican Republic Attorney General’s Office and Global Affairs Canada did not respond to PEOPLE’s requests for additional comment.
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More than a week after the tragedy, Giles said the family is doing okay, but the loss of a loved one is hard to accept.
“It’s a huge loss,” he said, noting that losing them all at the same time makes everything that much harder, especially for their children.
As for how he wants Alan and Christine to be remembered, her brother said it’s for the legacy of kindness they left behind.
Sharing an example, Giles said that when his wife died of leukemia a year and a half ago, his sister stepped up to help care for their daughter, who also worked in the family business. Now, after his sister’s death, he says he will do whatever he can to care for her children.
Giles added: “I had two children but now I have four because I look after their children.”
Read the original article on People
